Everybody Sing

MGM, 1938
Starring Judy Garland, Billie Burke, Fannie Brice, and Allan Jones
Directed by Elwin L. Marin
Music and Lyrics by various

Judy Garland was just starting to get noticed at MGM when she made this backstage tale, coming on the heels of her success in The Broadway Melody of 1938. How does this effervescent cross between a coming-of-age story and a Busby Berkeley-type revue look nowadays? Let's head to a music class at a stuffy private girls' school, and find out...

The Story: Judy Bellaire (Garland) was just expelled from private school for singing swing in choir class when she was supposed to be performing a spiritual. She returns home to discover that her parents, actress Diana (Burke) and playwright Hillary (Reginald Owen), are nearly broke. Her sister Sylvia (Lynne Carver) is in love with the handsome singing cook Ricky Saboni (Jones), but is being pursued by wealthy Jerrod Hope (Reginald Gardiner).

As it turns out, Ricky's not the only servant who is a terrific performer. Russian housemaid Olga Chekloff (Brice) is a wonderful singer and a cut-up onstage. Judy thinks they could put together a show to save her family from ruin. The second her father catches wind of her plans, he tries to send her to another school in Europe, but she breaks out and auditions for the show herself. Meanwhile, Sylvia finally agrees to marry Jerrod, despite her not being in love with him. Now Judy has to figure out how to bring everyone together without being dragged away...and get to show off her jazzy style to her parents and all of New York.

The Song and Dance: The story may be thin, but there's an awesome cast doing everything they can with the material. Fannie Brice has a lot screen time than she did in The Great Ziegfeld, including a big solo and a rare chance to see her play her radio character Baby Snooks on the big screen. Garland adorable as the teen who only wants to be able to show her stuff. The movie plays like a warm-up for Judy's later backstage movies with Mickey Rooney, only with a more adult cast, endearingly low-key compared to earlier big backstagers like the Broadway Melody series.

Favorite Number: The movie kicks off with Judy's high-energy "Swing Mr. Mendelssohn" number that gets her into trouble at school. Jones gets to reprise "Cosi Cosa" from the Marx Brothers vehicle A Night at the Opera at a nightclub, where Judy also gets the cute solo country spoof "(Down On) Melody Farm."

Fannie Brice gets to make fun of romantic Jane Austin-style heroines in "Dainty, Quainty Me" that allows her to show off her signature pratfalls with aplomb. Her Baby Snooks number with Judy, "Why? Because!" is brief but hilarious. No wonder the critics loved Judy in this - they're right that there's not many people who can hold their own with Brice and come out well. The big finale "The Show Must Go On" is the lone venture into elaborate Busby Berkeley territory, with dancers in sequined costumes.

Trivia: This was Jones' last movie for MGM.

Judy went on a seven-week, seven-city tour to promote the movie, with her mentor Roger Edens accompanying her on the piano. It was her first time performing in front of huge crowds.

The St. Brendan's Boys Choir performed for the girls in the opening classroom number.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how thin the story is? This isn't that far removed from Judy's later Mickey Rooney musical or other similar backstage films; it also has some roots in the screwball comedies of the era that plays "normal" folks against wacky rich families. It's a pretty typical "B" movie of the time with an "A" cast. All the whining and yelling this particular family does with each other can get on some folks' nerves after a while.

And then, there's Judy's blackface number, which she uses to try to get an audition without anyone knowing how young she is. It's full-on black makeup-white lips, and she keeps it on while doing a dramatic scene. It can be anything from disconcerting to incredibly offensive for many audiences today.

The Big Finale: I'm glad I found this one. This was a charming film with a nice glimpse at Garland, just prior to her fame in The Wizard of Oz and Babes In Arms. Necessary if you're a fan of her or Brice; also worth a look for fans of 30's musicals or MGM musicals.

Home Media: I'm afraid the Warner Archives DVD is currently out of print. Your best bet is to check used venues like I did.

DVD